Safe Space (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: A little post-Santa visit shopping takes an unexpected turn.


_Mari & Ilna-you guys are the absolute best! Thank you for EVERYTHING!_

_REAL Worlders-you guys are awesome. Thanks for all the support and encouragement._

_This story reference my earlier story Alarm Response but you don't really need to have read that to understand this one._

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**Safe Space (1/1)**

Elizabeth sat on a bench on the third level of the Ala Moana mall happily entertaining Angie and DJ by playing I Spy while the others got in a little post-Santa visit shopping. Joseph and Grandma Ang were on a trip to the first level that Elizabeth had been told was of a need-to-know nature and above her clearance. Gabby, Catherine and Grace were in the Morphe Cosmetics store across the way sampling some of their new holiday offerings while Steve and Danny headed off on what they claimed was a shopping mission for the women in their lives but Elizabeth suspected was more likely a trip to the Tesla showroom on the ground level.

"I spy with my little eye," Elizabeth said as she looked around for an object both children would be able to identify easily, "a red balloon."

"We'we ba-woon?" Angie said as she began to search the immediate area with sparkling eyes.

A smiling DJ looked over the railing behind them to the second level below and froze. Elizabeth immediately registered the fear rolling off the young boy in waves. His wide eyes looked terrified as he grabbed Angie's hand and immediately tugged her under the bench with him.

"DJ, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked but received no immediate answer. She dropped to the floor on her knees then leaned over to get a better view. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she repeated.

DJ's bottom lip quivered. "I saw a bad man."

Elizabeth surveyed the immediate area and saw no obvious threat. "Where did you see him?" she asked. She wanted to get as much information as quickly as she could and decided that trying to coax DJ out from under the bench might delay that process. Angie, even without knowing exactly what was happening, seemed to sense that DJ needed her and sat quietly beside him holding his hand.

"Downstairs."

Elizabeth looked over the railing and down to the second level. "Where have you seen him before?"

"He used to come to my house when I lived with Aunt Julia and Uncle Carl." Frightened tears began to roll down DJ's cheeks. "He showed me a big gun and said that if I ever told anyone about the bad things they were doing he'd come after me."

Out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth saw Catherine, Grace and Gabby exit Morphe and head their way.

Catherine noticed her mother's tense posture immediately and closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds. It was clear that whatever was going on was not a game. "What's wrong?"

"DJ saw a man he recognized from the Lennoxes." Elizabeth's jaw tightened. "A man who used to threaten to hurt him if anyone found out what was going on in the house."

Catherine scanned the area and saw an armed HPD officer step off the escalator a short distance away. She knew that HPD provided a group of on-duty officers to patrol the mall during the busy holiday shopping period.

"Officer!" She waved the young man over.

"How can I help you, ma'am?"

Something about the officer looked familiar but Catherine was focused on getting to the heart of what was happening and didn't have a chance to figure out where she knew him from. Elizabeth, however, remembered the young officer very well. He was the one who had detained her for suspected shoplifting when a very young Angie had helped herself to a sparkly necklace while Elizabeth was distracted for one second paying for Joseph's watch band.

"DJ, I need you to come out from under there and tell the officer what you saw," Catherine said softly as she reached out her hand. "Please."

After a few seconds of thought DJ took her hand but turned to Angie and said, "You wait here." He then crawled out timidly, stood up, and walked into Catherine's embrace. "I saw a bad man," DJ said quietly but determinedly. "Down there." He pointed over the railing to the second level.

Gabby pulled out her phone and texted Danny while Grace got on her hands and knees and began to play peek-a-boo with Angie to distract the toddler.

The officer knelt in front of DJ. "Can you tell me what the bad man looks like?"

"He has on a black jacket with patches on it. He wears it even when it's hot because he keeps his gun in the pocket."

"Officer Sharp," Catherine began as she checked the young officer's name tag. Suddenly the dime dropped, and she knew where she recognized him from. "Gerard, isn't it?"

The young HPD officer had recognized Catherine and her mother the second they flagged him down. He had mistakenly detained Elizabeth for shoplifting several months before he entered the police academy while he was working for mall security. "Yes, ma'am."

"Are you familiar with the Lennox case?" she asked hopefully. It would really help speed things along if she didn't need to fill him in on all the background.

"Yes, ma'am. I assume this is …" he desperately searched his memory for the name of the young boy involved in the case.

"DJ," Catherine supplied helpfully.

"Did you see the gun today, DJ?" Officer Gerard asked.

DJ shook his head. "No, but he always has it with him."

"Can you tell me anything else about what he looks like?"

"He had on a red hat," DJ said. "And he has tattoos like Steve except his are on his neck."

Gerard glanced over the clear plexiglass railing and saw a man who fit the description exiting Blue Hawaii Lifestyle carrying a large soft pretzel. He walked towards the center of the mall then leaned against the wall and pulled his phone from his pocket and began casually scrolling.

"I need you to do me a big favor, DJ." Gerard kept his tone as even as possible, trying desperately not to spook the clearly frightened young boy.

DJ squeezed Catherine's hand. "What?"

"I need you to look over the railing and tell me if the man leaning against the wall looking at his phone is the man you saw. Can you do that?"

"You're safe," Catherine said. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

DJ took a step closer to Catherine. He was surprised to find that he felt just as safe standing close to her as he felt under the bench. He'd never experienced anything like it before. He took a deep shuddering breath then bravely peeked over the railing. He quickly looked back at Gerard. "That's him."

Gerard pulled his walkie-talkie from his belt and radioed his fellow officers for backup.

"Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams are in the mall somewhere," Catherine told the young HPD officer as he headed towards the escalator.

"I let them know what's going on," Gabby said.

Gerard once again used his walkie-talkie to let the other officers already on scene know that the two task force members were in the area.

As Gerard headed down the escalator towards the suspect Catherine texted Steve. '_Be careful. I love you.' _Seconds later she received a reply. _'We will. I love you.'_

Catherine looked over the railing. As soon as the suspect saw the young officer get off the escalator he shoved his phone back in his pocket and headed for the other end of the mall at a brisk walk. Luckily, he was using the far less crowded outer walkway as opposed to the congested central corridor. When he was faced with two more officers getting off the escalator at the far end of the mall he panicked. Instinctively his hand went for his pocket and before he knew what hit him he was face down on the floor with Steve's knee in his back both arms twisted painfully behind his back.

"Give me a reason to tear your arms off," Steve growled.

"Don't do that," Danny said dryly. "I hate doing paperwork on the weekend."

Seconds later Gerard approached with his weapon drawn as the other officers kept one eye on the unfolding situation while at the same time attempting to calm the frightened shoppers in the area. Gerard handed Steve his cuffs and within a few seconds the suspect was in custody and the situation was well under control. Just as DJ had said, they did indeed find a large caliber handgun in the man's pocket.

"Nice work, Gerard," Steve said as HPD prepared to transport their prisoner for questioning. "Situations in places this crowded can turn bad very quickly, but you kept your head and handled things without causing a panic."

"Thank you, sir." Gerard beamed. "Though obviously I had a big assist from you."

"Don't sell yourself short." Steve smiled. "I was glad to help since I was in the area, but you would have been fine if we weren't here. You handled everything the right way calling for backup and not drawing your weapon until it was necessary."

"I appreciate that, sir."

"Now since you have everything under control here I'm gonna go find my family." Steve patted the young officer on the shoulder and headed for the escalator.

A minute later he and Danny stepped off onto the third level.

"Daddy! Dannnooooo!" Angie squealed.

Steve lifted her over his head then lowered her down for a kiss as she giggled with delight.

"Pi-tty," she said as she held out an eye shadow palette Grace had purchased in Morphe.

"Very pretty." Steve smiled. "You can get one of those in 25 years when you're allowed to wear makeup."

Grace and Gabby rolled their eyes in unison then chuckled.

Once Steve was sure Angie was safe and happy he passed her to Danny and approached DJ who was sitting on Catherine's lap. "Are you okay, buddy?"

DJ nodded. "Did you find the bad man?"

"We did," Steve said. "The police arrested him and he's going to jail."

DJ's posture relaxed noticeably.

"Officer Sharp said you were very brave and you gave him all the information you could and even helped him identify the bad man," Steve continued. "I'm very proud of you."

DJ looked at him with watery eyes. "I didn't want him to hurt anyone else. Especially not Angie. I have to help look out for her because she's little."

His expression was so earnest it nearly broke Steve's heart.

One of the things Steve and Catherine wanted most was to take away the grown-up worries that had dominated so much of his first six years, like keeping his environment safe and figuring out where his next meal was coming from. They wanted him to have as carefree a childhood as possible.

"As soon as he spotted the bad man he tugged Angie under the bench with him," Elizabeth said proudly.

"And even when he came out to talk to Officer Gerard he told her to stay there," Catherine added as she kissed DJ's head. "He was really looking out for her."

"We're very, very proud of you," Steve said. "It's my job to keep you all safe. Mine and Catherine's and all the adults that love you. But it's really nice to know that you're looking out for Angie too. You were very brave."

DJ climbed off Catherine's lap and wrapped his arms around Steve's neck. "I was scared but I remembered that I was scared the day the police found me at home alone too but then once I talked to you and Danny and Estella you helped me and I felt better."

Steve hugged the young boy tight and while he took a few seconds to compose himself Danny said, "You did the right thing. If there's ever any trouble you tell a trusted adult and a police officer if there's one around."

"I will," DJ promised resolutely.

Danny held his hand up for a high-five and DJ grinned as he slapped the hand over Steve's shoulder.

"I have an idea," Elizabeth said. "Why don't we round up Joseph and Grandma Ang and head over to Kamekona's for shave ice. How does that sound?"

"Yay!" Grace threw her arm in the air and Angie copied her excitedly.

"I'm glad you caught the bad guy," DJ said as they gathered their packages to head downstairs.

"Daddy wowk," Angie said as she lifted her arms out to her sides. "No mo bad guys."

DJ smiled and tickled her playfully. "I want to be just like Steve when I grow up and make all the bad guys go away."

"Angie do." The toddler clapped excitedly.

"The bad guys on this island better just give up now." Danny tousled DJ's hair. "They won't stand a chance with these two on the case."

**THE END**

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